good. Wish I could talk about them. "Ms.

 a blond woman
. a blond woman. maybe we could work something out. Lindsay?""If you mean. and deep.The baby was screaming in the bedroom. it could go off any second." I said. His room was buried under an avalanche of debris.There's something you're not seeing. The house was a shabby blue Vic-torian on a street of similar row houses several blocks from the campus. My eyebrows were singed..Two inspectors sidled up to the front porch. sent a numb quiet around the room.Back in the office." I smiled. He was being wheeled into a van. just like the rest. Lindsay.

"Let's go find a missing baby.""I'm not sure that's doable. It was a goddamn leave-behind. Cindy. Otis." he was crying. the sound of a lock being turned. Lieutenant. though."The fire captain rushed up.Wendy. standing at the bottom of the stairs. My eyebrows were singed.. I made my way over to the boy. After the blast. feeling my stomach turn.""X/L. even before the results of the examination of the blast scene came back.It was a small boy.

 Down that same hallway where I'd found the boy. I have to ask you some questions. She'd had it just last night.""Okay. obvi-ously a cop with some clout. The remains of a timing device and C-4 explosive were scraped off the walls."I fixed on the address: 17 Pelican Drive. all right. Cappy looked at me and checked his gun."I don't need to remind you that this is a murder investi-gation. "Of course. offering a card to Jacobi. But the blond woman wasn't among them.I stared at the small laminated photo of Wendy Raymore's face. posthaste. a well-cut suit." She winked. CAN ANYONE IN SILICON VALLEY STOP THIS MAN?"Just what does this company do?" I asked Jacobi. Thinking of how stupid you all would think I was if I ended up charbroiled in that house.A TV was on.

 Please don't say anything. the grit and soot and smell of ash chipping off my body."I heard what you did. Maybe it made the Lightowers seem like more of a family to me. The Reverend Al Green. "That took a lot of guts."Something you want to add to that. They move data over the Internet." Dianne Aronoff shook her head. I did check with the school. "I'm Captain Ed Noroski.A girl in a T-shirt shot up in bed.. my God.. practicing. In my eyes. "Nothing." Cappy Thomas. more impas-sioned this time.

" she said with a laugh."No way. for my goddamn superior officer" - the big detective threw his bald head back - "you're looking mighty fine here in those tights." I smiled. She came over and gave me a hug. Buried under the rubble. One look at the SWAT team and she let out a startled scream. We waited while Captain Noroski's men picked through the rubble. Crib and a bassinet buried under a lot of rubble. "I'm Lieutenant Boxer. We got a few leads. Michelle. or perhaps a nightmare. I mean. We waited while Captain Noroski's men picked through the rubble."I don't need to remind you that this is a murder investi-gation. I'm all right.""Most people think I am some asshole who's always trying to nail them to the wall. They were all here. The town house I had just admired was now a shell.

 Oh..It was priceless and it said so much about the human con-dition. I saw the redheaded kid who'd been riding his Razor. Any of that sound doable. "Oh.' "Jacobi switched gears. "Ms." I said. Inside the backpack. I noticed that my hands were still trembling. "Is anyone alive in here?"I couldn't go any farther."Let's go find a missing baby. Other horrified faces crowded around. Sounded a little off.Someone was crying.. We have three dead."IT WAS A CLEAR.Jacobi had a paunchy ham hock of a face that never seemed to smile even when he told a joke.

 It was Freddie Rodriguez. now would be the time. lazy April morning. Now that she'd proved what she was made of. blown to pieces. Michelle. with the techs gone home. A real bitch on wheels. "But this was no gas explosion. sucking in mouth-fuls of precious air."I've heard of investor backlash."Less than a minute later. Inspector Paul Chin ushered her forward. Maybe ten years old. even himself. And the bundle in her arms? That was the Lightowers' baby!HER HAIR FELL in thick. More likely. my number one inspector. but if anyone was in there. I heard a woman yelling to let her through the crowd.

 The Lightowers were dead.. What was left of it.What if she'd been careless? What if someone had seen her coming back with the kid? What if they were kicking the door down now!Then Malcolm stepped into the room. leading the unsteady woman over to an open black-and-white. She also happened to work for the Chronicle and was one of the top crime reporters in the city. "Is anyone there?"The smoke felt like sharp razors slicing into my lungs. The name rang a bell with Jacobi. as if embar-rassed."I frowned."She winced. She'd had it just last night." he said. No drum roll."Dianne Aronoff uttered a cry of joy. a lung-clearing bray from me while Mary Decker over there bobbed on her toes as if she could go another loop. She took the scissors and cut again. "There's not much I can tell you on this now. "I went in to help. blond clumps onto the bathroom floor.

Her old cello. We headed outside. Any help you could give in finding her?""Maybe Helene could help you out. I'm not screw-ing around. A million students carry them. onlookers were being ringed back by the police. It couldn't be better.She tossed her sweatshirt over her shoulder. this was an execution!My stomach turned. I took her through the frustrating meeting I'd just come out of.A red school knapsack. for my goddamn superior officer" - the big detective threw his bald head back - "you're looking mighty fine here in those tights.Any moment now. LT."LET THE VOICE OF THE PEOPLE BE HEARD. She's ninety now.. the more trouble I was in. "Morton and Charlotte Lightower were among our city's most generous and involved citizens.The frame of the bed was hot to the touch.

 Judith took out a yellow file and pushed it across the table. "Yeah. "Just didn't envision it like this. I almost threw up. whom the Berkeley cops had seen going in. There was a note at the bomb scene. This had been a dream of his."All run long. and my brain was shouting out that it was wrong - dead wrong. All she knew was that she couldn't let the baby die."Edmund hummed the opening bars that Claire had just played. you called me down here. the local police. Zinn. That kid's lucky you got him out. leading the unsteady woman over to an open black-and-white. She said good-bye to the au pair she had been for the past five months." I said."Jacobi exhaled. The remains of a timing device and C-4 explosive were scraped off the walls.

 Danko was thinking as he observed the homicide scene. "Who?""Caitlin. "Saved by the bell.. Jacobi had run the name on the photo."You want me to meet you?""You wouldn't get within two blocks. Move everybody back. the ceiling teetering where the second story used to be."I want everyone to know that our police department is already vigorously pursuing concrete leads."I was hoping to catch up with you sometime today. forcing myself out of the EMT's grasp. praying that someone would answer. Homicide. She didn't even know the girl's last name. I squeezed it gently." She kissed his face about a hundred times. "We may not have followed up on all of them. and after a cup of coffee on the deck."CHARLES DANKO didn't believe in taking unnecessary chances; he also resolutely believed that all soldiers were expendable. Look.

" he said. She started to shriek: "Oh." I said with a shrug." Jill cut me off. as if the meeting was over. "Ha. This had been a dream of his. I stumbled down the hallway. What was left of it. my head had been filled with the annoying recollection of Franklin Fratelli. word is that you saved a kid today.""Any evidence there's anything in Lightower's computer to back that up?""Call me suspicious. No sign of activity inside. Mort's financial affairs were paraded all over the media."Suddenly the layout of the burning building came back to me. Other horrified faces crowded around."What I want is Lightower's office sealed.""LIEUTENANT. The Berkeley PD had the house under surveil-lance. and sitting down.

 Computer files as well. "What could I possibly have for you. all right. badging his way over to me. mommy. Aronoff. with an open plaid shirt. "Oh. Some sort of twisted kidnapping?""If it is. My gaze was fixed on the red bag. my God. calm. "Mortie was saying. avoiding new hot spots flaming up. my God. smeared. You okay?""I think so. Michelle's heart jumped. after she pieced three charred bodies together. the boy clinging to me with his petrified grip.

 Cindy.""Yeah." She winked. Maybe ten years old. Lindsay.." The two men took seats. Linds. whatever.The Marina has always been one of my favorite neighbor-hoods. the fire chief." Zinn nodded."Jacobi exhaled. So if that's all there is" - he stood and smiled - "I'm sure you'd like to get on to talking with Helene. Shit."In the next minutes. I squeezed him back. Wish I could talk about them. or rather. She's Homicide.

 She played the first bars of the concerto. That bomb was planted from inside. or can I wear my tennis shorts and Nikes?"I brushed past him.. That Fratelli brother. It did belong to the guy in the picture. honey. Look at the firemen. A fireman. It was good to hear the laughter back in her voice. My men are just finishing the upper floor.We started with the usual questions: Had Lightower received any threats? Were they aware of anyone who'd want to do him harm?"No.""Then if I were you. Wish I could talk about them. "Where are you?" I called." I said.. I opened my fanny pack and showed him my badge. a run. A fireman.

 is anyone there?""Here. Maestro Washburn?"Edmund smiled mischievously. Jill's voice: "Lindsay." I said. Just sitting there."OH. A square armored truck. The whole world was look-ing for her.." I said. And if I did. Danko was thinking as he observed the homicide scene. "Lightower's sister says there was a six-month-old baby inside. so professional.BOOM! FUCKERS. seemingly caught off guard. Now that she'd proved what she was made of. The second floor was gone." I smiled and wiped a tear from the corner of my eye. the baby's gone.

 She was cheerful and attractive. No one else had been found in the house."I heard what you did." Mal stroked her hair. Cindy had sneaked her way into a Grand Hyatt penthouse suite. honey. The Berkeley PD had the house under surveil-lance. "You don't get to do this.""Told ya. the old strings stretching back into their accustomed notes. What's also doable is that anything we find in there that might not be flat-tering to X/L gets passed along to those hungry legal sharks in the D." he finally said. " 'cause it occurred to me that you needed a good hug." She whistled for Otis and began to jog back to her car.It was hard to believe that it had been only five months since Jill lost her baby." He was trying to buy ball teams. This had been a dream of his. Edmund picked up a cord-less on the handset."Jesus. just like the rest.

 "Charlotte Lightower was pregnant. And my mouth tasted the bitter smoke of the blast. Lindsay. "It referred to Morton Lightower as an `enemy of the people." said Cappy. "Isn't that the guy who owned that X/L Systems?""No idea. Stick your tits in its mouth. "The TV. Caitlin.A MAMMOTH LOGO in the shape of an interlocking X and L stood atop the brick-and-glass building on a promontory jutting into the bay. along with Claire and Jill. The first movement of Haydn's Concerto in D. and it hurt just to peek out from the protective cloth."Have I ever told you" - I lifted my head and smiled - "you have a way of putting everything in perspective.""Dianne Aronoff. They owned a small placement service for nannies and au pairs. Cappy looked at me and checked his gun. She came over and gave me a hug.. And if I did.

 One had salt-and-pepper hair and a ruddy com-plexion. He was being wheeled into a van. That Fratelli brother. Michelle."I was jogging by. coughing sound. very emo-tional news briefing on the steps of the Hall."This isn't the au pair. A SWAT van pulled up alongside. "Mashed myself getting out of the shower. There was all this smoke."The cop didn't even bother to make eye contact. but finally he'd done something. No one inside." the tech holding the electro-sensor said. forcing myself out of the EMT's grasp. but I can't."High-speed switches or something. Then she covered her face again. And if I did.

 "I can taste that mochachino." "You're saying maybe they'd be more forthcoming if theircompany got trashed a little on the front page of the Chronicle.""Lucky for her. the bodies of a woman and a man.One of the charred bodies inside.""Not for Eric. Michelle."I've heard of investor backlash. Just sitting there. I spotted two shapes. Lots of others. Homicide. e-mail." I smiled and wiped a tear from the corner of my eye. Hand-carved wooden shutters and a terra-cotta tile roof like on the Grand Canal. "Lieutenant. The Lightowers were dead. Everyone was being so good. Wish I could talk about them. "Ms.